When considering the top affiliate marketing program there are two perspectives, the business looking to participate in an affiliate marketing program to increase their online sales volume and the individual looking to advertise goods and services and earn affiliate commissions. There are affiliate programs in every product range imaginable – in fact there are 100,000’s of affiliate programs in operation. With the emphasis now heavily towards online sales large companies are directing more investment to their affiliate programs and their affiliates. The future is really exciting.
A Marketing Opportunity for Small Businesses
Having a number of busy and specialist websites advertising your products for free has to be attractive. The cost to you with affiliate marketing will be an agreed rate of commission on the resulting sales.
The people advertising your products are your affiliates and the usual method is to provide each affiliate with a link containing their ID code. When a customer comes to your website via the link the affiliate has placed on his advertisement, you’re tracking software will allocate the customer’s sales to that affiliate and generate an affiliate commission, usually a percentage of the sale value.
You will need to advertise your affiliate program. Depending upon your products you may find affiliates specializing in your market niche approaching you with a request to include your products on their websites. Also, if you are offering a higher rate of commission you might find the news travels among affiliates and you receive more requests and the likelihood of more sales.
Shopify supply plugins and modules for use in your own program.
Affiliate Marketing Networks
The smaller business will often prefer to join an affiliate marketing network, such as Commission Junction, ShareASale, LinkShare and Affiliateprograms.com. The package you receive from these marketing networks may include the advertising of your products to other affiliate marketers and they provide and administer the linking, the sales tracking system and the payments of the affiliate commissions. These networks will charge fees for their service or sometimes take an agreed percentage of the sales as their fee.
Being an Affiliate Marketer
The affiliate owns a website about a niche he/she has a passion for. The website builder has researched the subject and has produced content which is attracting interest. The affiliate has focused on OWNING the niche and has become a respected authority on his subject. Any recommendations are taken seriously and have a strong likelihood of leading to sales. The affiliate will receive commissions from linking customers to the seller’s website by his personal affiliate link. Having reached this stage, his/her website can continue to generate incomes with minimal ongoing efforts.
Becoming Successful
Build your website as a brand and once regarded as an authority within your niche you will attract the attention of larger affiliate agencies, networks and programs.
To reach this stage takes time and a lot of work. There are plenty of websites offering you help with your development and it will be invaluable. Choose carefully. Affiliate marketing is a REAL business, you are starting your business from scratch and building up a following. Unlike the scams which claim fast fortunes, you are not badgering friends and relatives to purchase over-priced products.
Successful businesses of all kinds involve training, proving your ability and building up a customer base. As an affiliate you can start building up the content for your website from day one. Researching, particularly on the internet, for products and information that you can write about. You publish your writings on the internet to attract interested parties to your website. You are already building a valuable asset but that is not to say you will get it 100% right first time. Patience is needed, you must also be dedicated to your subject and be focused on helping others who have an interest in your niche.
A well respected example of an affiliate that has built around helping people is GoCompare.com, saving people having to fill out dozens of application forms for quotes. Had you recognized that websites like these are affiliate marketing sites? You link from GoCompare to your chosen insurer etc. and if you become a customer GoCompare receive a commission. Who said affiliate marketing was a scam?
Do Not Stop Learning
E-commerce is constantly changing and you need to be aware of changes within both affiliate marketing and the various social medias that can be aligned to your business. Top affiliate marketers are expecting some radical shifts during 2018 and beyond (to the advantage of the affiliate). We have seen changes to FaceBook, restricting articles which they deem to be advertising and the EU are introducing strict, and some may say long overdue, Data Protection rules during the first half of 2018.
Introducing Wealthy Affiliates
This top affiliate networking program has been built over a period of 13 years into a program providing everything you can possibly need. Weekly hour-long video training ensures all new developments are explained and bought to your attention. Lessons and a vast library cover every part of the business you will be creating. Wealthy Affiliate has a community of over 1,000,000 members in 195 countries and just about everyone who is a somebody in affiliate marketing is a member. Their experienced members are always ready to help you and the online facilities for conversing with them are extensive.
Many members are earning six and seven figure annual incomes having developed their websites a number over a number of years. There are also members experiencing success within shorter periods or with part-time participation. For example, one member received over $4,000 commission for the month of December 2017 having followed the training since joining less than 12 months earlier. Another member working part-time alongside his full-time employment creating 50 pages/posts on his website over a two-year period has received over $22,000 from his site.
Not Just Affiliate Marketing
Four years ago I was seeking tuition on building my own website. I knew the content I wanted to convey but hadn’t the first idea about how to start a website. I new that in addition I would require hosting and that backups and security are essential. I was having no success when it was suggested that I look at the hosting provided by Wealthy Affiliates. Their hosting is the most secure and they have exclusive, most technologically advanced servers in the industry.
Full details about Wealthy Affiliates are included in my article “Simple Website Tutorials”, click here.
If you have any comments or questions on this subject, please leave them in the area below and I will be very pleased to help you out.
Colin